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According to Meriam-Webster cactus is defined as, "any of a
family (Cactaceae, the cactus family) of plants that have succulent stems and branches
with scales or spines instead of leaves and are found especially in dry areas
(as deserts)."

According to the Purdue student body Cactus is your Thursday
night plans. Cactus has been turned into a verb. "Are you Cactus-ing?" has
turned into a common question between Boilermaker students.

So what is this Cactus thing we are all talking about? It's
called the Neon Cactus and...it's awesome. Every Thursday night, hundreds of
Purdue students make the walk down the hill to the levee to visit The Neon Cactus.

Whether you go for the Piano bar, the dance floor or the
economically priced beverages, it is sure to be a good time. The Piano bar has
turned into a Thursday night requirement for many students. A big part of the
atmosphere and environment is Bruce the Piano Man or more simply, Bruuuuuce.

Whether he's serenading the crowd with his rendition of
Elton John's "Rocket Man" or the foot-stompin' "Wagon Wheel" (my personal
favorite) by the Old Crow Medicine Show, one thing is for certain - he and you
are having a good time.

I decided to join Bruce on the party side (Boilers will
understand) and find out what keeps the Piano Man in tune.

Q: How did you learn to play the piano?

Growing up, I always considered my voice my instrument and I
had a pretty good voice but I knew it wouldn't last forever. I wanted to learn
an instrument. I tried to learn guitar but I just couldn't get my fingers to
work the way they needed to.

I was 19 years old and in college. I went down to the piano
in my residence hall with a walkman and spent 7 or 8 hours listening to a song
and trying to learn how to play it. I did it. It was all by ear. Throughout the
day people would walk by and say, "hey, I know that song." Those little pieces
of encouragement sort of kept me going.

Q: Is that still how you learn to play?

Yeah, I can't actually read music. The bass and treble clef
don't mean anything to me. If you tell me to play an A Chord, I can do that but
in terms of reading the actual music, I can't do that.

The last song I learned was Forget You by Cee Lo Green. I've
gotten significantly faster at it. I probably had that song the second or third
time through and it probably only took me two or three hours total.

Not to get too spiritual on you or anything but God has
given me a gift to be able to do that and I am just trying to make the most of
it.

Q: You grew up in Lafayette, attended Purdue and now live in
the area. Safe to say you're a die-hard Boilermaker?

Oh yeah. I love Purdue. I was hired to work down at IU for a
couple of months and I don't absolutely hate IU or anything but it was like I
was behind enemy lines down there. I loved the people and loved the venue, I
just couldn't get into it - it didn't feel right.

And again, that's not anything against IU that is just a
result of how much I love Purdue. I bleed black and gold.

Q: What's your favorite memory from college?

I have so many great memories from college. It took me 14
semesters (7 years) so I had a lot of time to make memories.

First and foremost, I was in Glee Club and got to travel the
world with that organization. We performed in places like the Sydney Opera
House and Westminster Abbey. It was absolutely incredible. Westminster Abbey
was just an absolutely incredible experience. The sound and magnitude of it all
was almost moving.

The other one more specific to Purdue is the Naked Olympics
that used to happen at the Cary Quad. The coldest day of the year, a bunch of
the residents would strip down and go run outside around the quad. It's an all
male dorm so use your imagination there. We all had a little bit of
encouragement but more than anything, nobody had a care in the world. We were
just a bunch of college kids doing something crazy.

Oh and as a freshman my roommate and I ate Domino's 27 nights in a row.

Q: What's your favorite memory from your time as the
pianoman?

I don't know if it is just because we celebrated the ten
year anniversary but I would have to say the first Thursday after 9/11/01. The
attacks happened early Tuesday morning and for two days all anybody did was sit
in front of a TV and watch the terrible news. It was obviously a very dark time
for America. I remember thinking that I didn't even want to go in and play that
night. I didn't think anybody was going to be there and I wasn't sure if I
would be able to entertain those that were there.

That night was incredible. It was packed and I think
everybody was ready to be together. It didn't have anything to do with the
drinking. People just wanted to be with each other and do something together.
All they could do was sing and dance but they could control that. They could
sing as loud as they wanted and it was like weight was being lifted off their
shoulders.

I think I played God Bless America four times that night and
I never play a song twice in one night. I laughed that night and I cried that
night. It's a memory that will always stick with me.

I also met my wife in the Piano Bar. I remember it so
vividly. I know the exact seat she sat in. She was wearing a grey hoodie with
her hair pulled back and didn't have any makeup on but she was beautiful and I
knew it was meant to be. I put the full court press on her that night. And here
we are two kids later and still happily married.

Q: You will be a part of a lot of students' favorite memory
when they look back at their college years. What does that mean to you?

I can't put it into words. I really wish there were some way
I could say thank you to everybody. I think they polled the graduating students
a couple of years ago and I was something like their third favorite memory from
college. That means so much. To be able to do this as a living is just such a
blessing. I'm so grateful and just wish I could give back what everybody's support has meant to me. I just can't put it into words.

Q: Most people only see you play once a week, but can you
talk about the preparation that goes into making sure you know all of the songs
and are entertaining every week?

It's just like training if you were an athlete. I have to do
things to protect my voice. I drink a lot of room temperature water and really
try to rest my vocal chords during the week. I play Thursday, Friday and
Saturday every week. As I have gotten a little older it is taking me longer and
longer to get my voice back every week. It use to be Tuesday before I got it
back and now it's moving later into Wednesday. I just have to be smart about
it. I can't yell at my kids, which they like.

Q: What's your pet peeve inside the piano bar?

Cell phones. They used to be these huge block things that
really messed with our sound system. Now, some people can get away with it but
I still like to give some others a hard time.

I know that not everybody who comes to watch the show is
going to be entertained and that's okay. I just want to have 6, 7, or 8 out of
every 10 new people enjoy the show. I know if we do that, we'll grow. I've been
doing this 16 years and I think we've been able to do that. It's continued to
grow and that's something I am really proud of.

--

Well, there you have it folks. It's hard to translate the
passion and emotion that Bruce displayed in the interview through a blog but
let me assure you that he appreciates all of the people that have came and
listened and those that continue to. Purdue is lucky to have him and he feels
lucky to have us.